The Babysitter
by MadamObscurum
Summary: Magnus leaves a recuperating Ashley in his less than capable hands for a few days. Snarky Evil Genius, Rebellious Young Adult, what's the worst that could happen? Teslen implied AshleyxNikola Friendship [DISCONTINUED]
1. Prologue: The Deal

**-A multi-chapter Teslen! Hoorah =)Although it's Tesla x Ashley friendship-centric. It won't be long, however. Will try to make it as 'worth the read' as I can. The inspiration came to when I thought, "What would happen if Ashley and Nikola got to know each other?" As always R&R and enjoy =D **

**-Thank you so much for those who support my Naruto-fandom works. =D Fear not, I've been writing for TR , KNS and the others. I'm just taking a little breather from them to expand my horizons. **

**XxxxxxxX**

**The Baby Sitter**

**Prologue**

**~The Deal~**

"Really, Helen?" A disgruntled Nikola was leaning against the said woman's desk, wine glass elegantly in hand and a large scowl on his face. "You can't possibly suggest that _I_ baby sit..._her_." He had gestured his wine-glass bearing hand at the blond who stood a foot apart from her mother, eyes obviously screaming their mutual disagreement at the offer at hand.

He sneered at her, distraught at the idea of having to look after this 23-year old child who, frankly, was old enough to take care of herself even after _that_ happened.

"Mom, please, just take me with you. I feel _fine._" Ashley pleaded after she made a face that bordered disgust and intense—_intense—_dislike. As far as this man went, she hated him. She hated his arrogance the most. The way he paraded around like he owned the place when he damn well didn't.

Her mother, Ashley wondered, had the oddest friends. Call it her protective daughter instincts to shield her mother from despicable men, but as far as Tesla went, she was not amused.

Ever since she was turned into the Cabal's agent and her mother had managed, in her blank moments of recall, to bring her back, Ashley had been monitored day in and day out despite her lack of memory of the events. She remembered, though, that one hazy memory of her mother crying as she held onto the wrists of one of those Cabal superabnormals—one much like herself—before everything went black. Next thing she knew, she was in the infirmary with her mother at her side, asleep and dreadfully exhausted.

"Oh Ashley," Helen's motherly tone was soothing, almost intoxicating, "John, Will, Kate and I will only be gone for a few days to finalize the new Sanctuary network in the Philippines." Helen beamed a reassuring smile at her daughter, "Besides, you've just recovered. I don't want to risk you again."

Helen held her daughter by the shoulders. She had let Ashley go on her own impulses the last time, and it had ended badly. Had it not for Nikola's quick thinking, John's primeval instincts as a father—perish the thought—and her decisive thinking, Ashley would have been severely disadvantaged. Or worse.

"Fine, but why does it have to be..._him?" _She glanced at Nikola who responded with a face of his own, "Henry, Big Guy and I will do just fine on our own. Take him with you or something." She was desperate now, and the tone of her voice was evidence enough.

"Ah I see we finally agree on something," Nikola had stepped forward, his wine-free hand hooked daintily on his waist, a mannerism he often did. "Yes, Helen, why not leave the Sanctuary in Wolfy's ever capable hands? Or the..." He trailed off as he attempted to describe Biggie, to which he found himself lacking the right words to describe him.

"Nikola," Helen warned in her oh per usual tone, "Ashley's just recovered. Besides, if something were to happen while I'm gone—"

"Yes but how can you be certain I won't run this place to the ground?" He had his hands join in their argument, weaving circles as he explained how the Sanctuary wouldn't be there when they returned.

Nikola grinned at Helen, leaning closer to provoke the brunette. After he had explained, he thought that she'd perhaps see the rationality in all of this. Nikola was not the man—vampire—to leave the entire Sanctuary network to. Contrary-wise, he'd probably do a bang up job save that he wasn't in the least interested to do so especially when it involved an added job of taking care of a snivelling blonde brat that was her daughter.

If only she were more like Helen: refined, sweet, intelligent, and womanly. It was a shame she took more genetic coding from her father than from her mother. Druitt was hardly the perfect role model or father figure. Ah Helen, if only she'd chosen Tesla instead of Druitt long ago—gave her heart to him instead—perhaps they'd have a daughter that was perfect in every way. But, that was wishful thinking, and the one standing before him was Druitt's child, not his.

To his dismay, the latter simply grinned and took her seat before her desk, hands interlaced with one another on top of it. Helen gave Nikola a mischievous smile that held every gleam of trouble she had within her. Damn her. "I trust you, Nikola." Who could possibly resist such a sweet phrase? Simple: Ashley and Nikola.

Ashley reeled, her face scrunching in disgust as Nikola grimaced into a sarcastic smile, freeing himself from their staring game. "I'm flattered Helen, but I adamantly refuse. Besides, you, yourself, have just recovered from all of this Cabal business." His expression was solemn, showing what Helen realized was genuine concern.

"And might I add, how can you be sure Druitt's going to keep his blood thirst intact throughout the trip, hm?" He leaned onto the table, placing a hand to support his weight as he attempted to close the distance between them. He was growing deathly serious, and Helen could notice the slight unnerving of his voice.

"Will and Kate will be there."

"You're going to depend on _the_ _paperboy_ and...and the _ex_-cabal agent for safety?" Nikola cocked his head in agony, that scowl deepening with every word brought forth from his mouth. He folded his hands across his chest, careful not to spill the precious vintage in his grasp.

He didn't like the idea of Helen going on a mission with the likes of those three. To tell the truth, he simply hated Helen being alone with Druiitt at any time of the day—or time for that matter. But he would never openly admit it. No, he was too conceited and self-absorbed in his pseudo guardian affairs to even think of it. He'd mask any signs of jealousy with plain abhorrence.

Ashley nodded from her corner, her eyebrows raised to emphasize her agreement, "Not my choice of words but what he said."

"Look." Helen had risen from her seat in a manner that seemed to make them shrivel up and shrink in size. Oh dear lord. Angry Magnus was not appealing. "This discussion is over. Nikola you are going to watch over Ashley _and_ the Sanctuary until our return, and Ashley will remain inside. .Clear?" Her eyebrows furrowed, Helen could only keep her mouth tightly shut as she let the silence carry her vexation across. She was tired of arguing.

Ashley, still reluctant to accept the unruly verdict, simply groaned and walked out of the room. Nikola, on the other hand, simply quirked his eye brows in silence and took a sip of his wine. He cleared his throat, opting to look away from her soul-boring glare. "Very well then." He placed his wine glass on the wooden desk of his so-called long time friend before taking his leave. Defeated, he could only walk away with his tail between his legs—so uncalled for.

**XxxxxX**

Helen, John, Will and Kate stood at the foyer geared up in their mission attire. Before them stood Nikola, Ashley, Henry and Biggie who were more or less reluctant to leave the Sanctuary in the hands of Nikola Tesla. "Is there really no way Declan can fly on over here, and—I dunno—run the place instead of genius here?" Kate had quirked a sarcastic brow at Nikola who snickered at her oh-so charming remark.

"Afraid not," Helen, sighing, could only defend her decision to the best of her abilities. Declan had far pressing matters in the London Sanctuary to 'fly and take care of things', and the other Sanctuary heads couldn't be left to their own devices. Will and Kate's abilities were thoroughly needed in that land so far away from their own, and Druitt—well—he had his teleportation. Besides, with the current happenings in that country, a quick getaway was probably the best.

"Helen, surely this can wait until Ashley's recovered, yes?" Druitt had spoken up, his tall countenance fluidly shifting to Helen's side. He was worried—his expression was honest—about leaving Ashley in the hands of Tesla. It was just about as much as Tesla was worried about leaving Helen with Druitt. A bundle of irony the situation was, but they all had to deal with it. It seemed that the only person who actually agreed with the plan was the master mind, herself. However, even she had her doubts.

"We can't delay this any longer. A slight detour in the schedule and things will fall apart," She had turned to him, her eyes pleading for Druitt's alliance—she hoped at least he would be an ally. "That country is a delicate situation, needing the utmost care, caution and...diplomatic skills." She paused, flickering her gaze from person to person wondering if they understood what she meant.

Druitt glared at Tesla, mustering every ounce of self-discipline to, after much restriction, simply walk up to him. "If anything happens to Ashley while we—"

"Hey, I can take care of myself. Thank you very much." Ashley had retorted from her corner before Tesla could reply some brilliant come back. This was no time—nor was _any_ time for that matter—for him to be taking on his role as a father. Helen and she had done just fine without this 'John' character.

"Well, without further adieu," Helen had to stop things before they escalated any further, "John, if you will." She nodded to the ripper before John, taking one last look at Tesla, reluctantly followed. "Nikola, if anything happens while I'm gone be sure to let me know." She saw Tesla briefly scoff before lifting his brows in understanding. She then turned to Will and Kate, "Ready?"

"As we'll ever be," Will quirked a brow at Kate before all four disappeared in a vortex of red energy. Then they were gone.

Ashley, once her mother and her team were gone, grasped her Biker helmet which had been inches from her and propped on top of the foyer end table. "Well now that she's gone—"

"And where do you think you're going, young lady?" Nikola had his hands latched onto his waist, his brilliant blue eyes fixed on her helmet. He had a guarded expression, one that showed feigned concern, reluctance to comply, and the audacity of a wilful guardian. It'd been seconds since Magnus had disappeared and already her offspring was causing trouble. Well, something she probably inherited from his mother.

"Out." Ashley muttered in a matter-of-fact tone as she headed for the door. Henry and Biggie, noticing the blonde head outside, raced towards the door.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Henry grabbed Ashley by the wrist to stop her, "Your mother just said—"

"No way am I staying cooped up here." She glanced at Tesla, "Especially with him here." Nikola could only gibe in sarcastic reply.

Henry gave Ashley a straight face, cocking his head to one side before attempting to reassure her, "Look we all get it. Tesla might not be the best person to leave this place to,"

"I beg your pardon?" Nikola was growing more irritated by the minute. Wolf-boy wasn't helping one bit.

"But Magnus left you in _our_ care. If something happens to you," He glanced at Big Guy, "We'll all be in some deep mojo! And you KNOW how your mom gets when she threatens to deep fry you to a crisp!" Henry had tossed his hands in the air, earning a chuckle from the blonde who lifted her hand from the door knob.

"Fine. I get it," Ashley sighed, "But I just HATE it when everyone's up in my face." She held her helmet beneath her arm, scrutinizing the relieved look of Nikola Tesla before marching up the staircase, slightly brushing his shoulder as she did. "Not doing this for your sake."

Nikola leered at her with a toothy grin, following the blonde with his gaze until she disappeared up the flight of stairs. "Wonderful job, Lupe." He had faced Henry who, he noticed, was giving him the most displeasing glare. "What?"

Henry shook his head before wordlessly heading towards the hallway and into the elevator. Big Guy, wanting to get back to work, huffed and grunted before he turned the corner and out of sight, leaving a disgruntled Nikola to his own demise.

"Great." He clasped his hands together, rubbing them gleefully. He exhaled, ogling the vicinity looking for _something_ to do. "...Now what?" He jeered at his question, that rampant smirk wiped clean off his face when he realized, with Helen gone, there was very little to do in the Sanctuary.

He glanced left and right before a small idea popped into his head and he opted to walk down the hallway towards Henry's lab. Perhaps Magnus's boy had some junk he could work with. Revival of his species, here he comes!

**XxxxxxX**

**-A rather short prologue to The Baby Sitter. So now that Nikola's left to wreak havoc in the Sanctuary as he pleased, what's going to happen? Find out soon! I implore all of you to leave some Reviews, so I may know where I have to improve on. =) **

**-I'm having a bit of a difficulty capturing Ashley's personality exactly. I've been rewatching episodes with her, and I have to say I'm learning. Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with some good exchanges between her and Tesla. **

**-"HEINRICH!" -Tesla**


	2. Chapter 1: House Rules

**Chapter 1**

**~House Rules~**

Nikola lay on top of Magnus's four-posted bed, drapes and sheets a lovely shade of yellow, and pillows of simple yet elegant white. He had his legs hanging outside the bed, his obsessive compulsiveness constantly reminding him not to dirty it with the earth outside. With a book in hand, he had his eyes fixed on one of Magnus's books on Vampires. Oh how he enjoyed the Sanctuary library.

Over the years, he'd come and gone to borrow a book from Helen. Some books he returned; some books he did not. This time, however, there was no need for him to scavenge through shelves for the right book to borrow. This was more of a leisurely read. He'd read this book so many times, it had simply become a way to kill time.

He let a hand trail over the words, grinning over how majestic the Vampire race sounded in black text. But, this book did not do it enough justice. The Vampire race, Akhkharu, was this and _so_ much more.

As he read, lost in the words of his ancestors, he failed to notice a rather worn out Ashley enter the room clad in leather with her motorbike helmet nestled beneath her arm. When the soft thud of her biker boots touched the wooden floor and made it creak, a now alert Tesla glanced at the blonde.

He lifted his eyes from the page, noting where he had stopped, and affixed his gaze on the girl. He was about to greet her out of cordiality when he noticed the trickle of sweat down her face. After that, it didn't take long for her outfit to register in his mind.

He sneered, "Mini Druitt, so nice of you to come home." He shut the book with one hand, his other hanging delicately in the air—eloquent and refined. "And where exactly have you been?" his gaze flickered to her helmet—tribal piece of punk—before he kept his blue eyes steady on hers.

Ashley had her face scrunched into one of disgust. She looked him up and down, the way he was so comfortably resting on _her_ _mother's_ bed. "Ugh," she stuttered and tripped over her words finding herself more stunned than she thought, "I bought supplies." Lame answer. She looked away, tossing some spare change into her mother's antique bowl next to the door before turning to leave.

Tesla had his brows raised, his ever genius brain picking up the tone of her nervous voice. "Supplies, was it?" He moved out of the bed, rising to a stand with a slight hop in his step. He walked towards Ashley, placing the book smoothly down on the trunk before Magnus's bed. "Did you buy me wine?" he had his hands wide open, fingers delicately curved so his index fingers seemed to beckon to her. "I did leave a note."

"You knew I was going out?"

He let his lips tug down as he shrugged before replacing it with a wide, toothy grin, "Vampire, remember? I overheard you talk to Heinrich earlier. Then I heard your engine zoom off in the speed of light—" He pointed away as if Ashley herself were indeed zooming off, that grin ever-present on his features, "which by the way," he had turned to Ashley with an expression that was solemn and slightly irked, "I still contest against Einstein." He pointed to himself, "I still think my theory was much better. His was flawed."

Ashley rolled her eyes in disdain, giving off an exasperated breath of air before reaching for the door knob. She was, however, stopped by Tesla's hand that had grabbed the door knob before she did. "What's the rush?" In truth, he could hardly stop toying with the female; in fact, he could hardly take her seriously. Before him was a 23 year old girl whose age paled before his. More so, this was Helen's child, the child of the woman he so adored. No harm in poking a little fun, eh?

She sighed, reluctantly turning to commence a glaring competition. She rested her weight on one side of her leg, face guarded and apparently unenthusiastic about having to spend a few more moments with the Vampire. "What do you want, Tesla?" She watched his lips keep that smirk on as he began adding distance between them. He turned, so elegantly it _almost_ amazed her, and smoothly sat on one of her mother's chairs. "I think we need some rules."

Ashley quirked her brows, mouth slightly agape at the proposition. "Er, what?" She shifted her weight on her other leg, hands deftly placing her helmet on top of the wooden trunk in front of her mother's bed, next to Tesla's book. She had made her way to stand behind the chair directly across Tesla's, hands gripping its headrest. "Rules?"

"You know, house rules."

"What, like Harry Potter?"

"Mm," He let his gaze trail to the side in thinking, "Sort of, only better. Simpler. Something even _you_ can follow."

"Excuse me?"

He chuckled, "So like your mother."

"Stop comparing me to my mother,"

"Oh," He jeered at her, "temper like your father."

"Stop that!"

Nikola shook his head, slightly bending forward to ease his laughter. When he had settled, and noticing the furious glare she was giving him, he straightened himself and reclined against the wooden back of the chair. He interlaced his fingers, crossing his legs as he let out a relaxed huff of air. "Back to the issue, I think it's best we lay out some rules to stop you from parading around. Your mother told you to stay inside the Sanctuary, I suppose she made _that_ clear enough."

Ashley pulled back, brows furrowing in adamant rejection, "Look I'm fine. If you're afraid of mom, don't be. So long as nothing happens to me, everything will be fine."

He let her get away with her 'afraid of mom' comment. He scoffed at the idea. Him, afraid of Magnus? Never. Or so he believed. "So long as nothing happens?"

"I'll make sure of it."

"Really now? Did the Cabal manage to slip in powers of invulnerability as well?" He beamed her a snide, sarcastic smile.

She groaned in frustration, eyes rolling—something Nikola found amusing considering how often Helen did that gesture in response to his snarky comments. He rose from his seat, closing the distance between them with a few gallant steps. "Look here Mini Druitt,"

"Stop—"

He ignored her protests against her name, "Helen asked me to watch you for a few days and frankly, I'm not too happy about it. Neither are you, apparently." He scowled at her, "But good news is, we don't have to do anything about it." He watched amusedly as her expression changed from scorn to confusion, "Let me make it as easy and painless as I can for you: You don't like me. I don't like you. I think that's something we have in common." As he said this, he gestured from Ashley to himself, then himself to Ashley.

She nodded slowly wondering where all this was leading. "Okay. I think we've established that. Where're you going with this?"

"I'm just saying that _maybe_, while your mother's gone, we can agree," he paused as he gestured because non-verbal movements were Tesla's strongest points, "to disagree." Again, that wide smirk lit up his features.

"Okay dude, you lost me." Ashley stood upright, her arms folded across her chest. "Alright, agree to disagree. I can do that. So where do these rules come in?"

"Ah, seems like some of Magnus's genes did pass onto you." Before Ashley could retort, he continued, "Just some basic rules to keep things in check."

She sighed, "Alright, what're the rules then?"

"Your willingness to comply shocks me." He managed to coax one last time before initiating his laying down of the rules. "First rule," he emphasized it as the first with his index finger, "No leaving the house" When he noticed Ashley's mouth begin to protest, he abruptly interjected, "without a companion." He saw her lips close. Had she agreed?

"So as long as either Henry or Big guy come with me, I can go out?"

"Yes."

"Alright, cool." She was shocked at Tesla's leniency. If it had been her mother, she would've probably be locked up in one of level 4 cells—complete hyperbole, of course.

"Which brings us to our second rule," He clasped his hands together as he made his way to sit on the edge of Magnus's bed. "Curfew at 10,"

"That's middle school curfew!"

"Ah, ah, let me finish." He didn't like that she was impatient or that she was quick to generalize. Magnus would have never done that. She would always think before she—dear lord, he'd have to stop comparing Ashley to Magnus. "Curfew at 10, but if you intend to extend hours make sure to call."

She, surprised, took a step back, "Concerned much?"

"I just don't want to get the rough end of the stick when mater comes teleporting back, _capiche_?"

Ashley snorted. That was probably the first time she'd actually found him amusing—for once. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, vamps." She stifled an oncoming roar of laughter, shutting her lips tightly so as to avoid any giggles slipping out. Seriously, their conversation was just a continuous exchange of sarcasm-retort-insult-anger- and more sarcasm.

"Hysterical," Nikola muttered from his small corner, "I'm not finished yet though,"

Upon hearing that their little set of rules had not ended at two, she groaned and fell back down against her mother's chair. "What're the others?" She said dimly and without life.

"Hold on to your horses," Nikola muttered as he sighed in exasperation. "Rule three: No dangerous stunts. Meaning no rushing to save an innocent abnormal's life. No action-packed thrills of hunting baddies down..." he trailed off assuming she could understand where he was going with it. He simply meant that she avoid anything dangerous and life-threatening. He didn't want Magnus to come home to find her daughter's corpse now, did he?

She sighed, lowering her head so her hair fell on her face. She pondered on it. Danger was her middle name. She lived to live on the edge. So, how was she supposed to comply with this one? Ah well, she supposed her mother would be coming home soon anyway and the viability of these rules wouldn't be as long. Besides, what could happen in a few days?

"Fine." She lifted her head to meet the brilliant blue eyes that was Nikola. Seeing her comply, he had nodded. "Alright, that's about it." He lay back down, waiting for any further responses from her, "Three simple rules, mini Druitt. Don't break them."

Ashley straightened, placing a hand on her hip, "Wait a minute, isn't that unfair? How come I'm the only one with rules?"

Tesla's eyes furrowed, not liking what she was implying, "Well, I think it's because I'm the one in charge while Magnus's gone so—"

"You should have rules too," Ashley's lips widened into a grin, mischief clearly plastered on her face.

"And what, may I ask, would those rules be?" He was impatient, morose, and completely mortified at the idea of him needing his _own _set of rules. Rules? He was never one to follow them. 'Ah well,' he thought to himself, 'keep the child entertained'.

"No going through mom's things, that's for one." She had her arms folded, a slightly raised brow of hers telling Nikola she meant it. Her mother's things were her mother's alone. Old friend or not, he didn't have the right to go snooping through them. "And don't use her bed _or_ empty her wine cellar." She scrunched up her face to show off her revolt for this food for thought. Nikola in her mother's bed. Disgusting.

The corner of his lips tugged into a brief smile before he returned to scowling, "Oh please, what do you take me for?" Before Ashley could retort, he had stood up to dust himself off, "So that's two. One more to level the playing field,"

She let her lips part as if to say something, but when nothing would come out, she shut them back again. What else was there for Nikola to _not_ do? She glanced right and left before she finally got an idea of what exactly she wanted from this 'old' friend of her mom's. "You don't get me into trouble with mom."

"Excuse me?" Nikola's brows furrowed in his lack of comprehension, "Elaborate."

"No matter what happens—no matter what trouble I get into—you don't say a word to mom." She felt triumph dominate her. This was her 'get out of jail free' card; her trump card in case of emergencies. This assured her that no matter what she did—no matter the number of rules—she could simply turn the other cheek when it came to Nikola. Nikola could do no harm to her.

Nikola's expression darkened, his fangs revealing themselves from the way his lips tugged into a cheeky grin. He was _almost_ impressed with the mind of this child—_almost_. "Like I said, seems like some of Helen's genetic wiring _did_ pass onto you." He affirmed his previous statement not so long ago. Oh she was cunning, but not as cunning as Helen. She didn't have a power over him like the blonde's mother had on him. But, Time was a good teacher. Who knows what she would grow into in the days—decades—to come.

"Very well, I accept your...rules." He scoffed at the 'r' word, sneering at the fact that he had to abide with restrictions that he did not like imposing. Damn the rules.

"Okay," Ashley let her shoulders drop, her hand reaching out to grab the door knob. "If we're all done here, I think I'd like to go get some sleep."

"No dinner?"

"Aw," She was sarcastic, "Thanks _uncle_ Nikola for your concern, but no thanks. I don't feel like eating." She had a goody-two shoes tone. She had purposely stretched the uncle, watching in satisfaction as Nikola cringed at the title. Apparently he wasn't one for sweet titles. "What's wrong, _uncle_ Tesla, are you okay? Do you feel sick?"

"Sick to my stomach, thank you very much." He groaned, "Go on, you devilish rascal. Go away." He gestured for her to leave, grasping his abdomen in play of his 'sick stomach'. He watched amusedly as she retorted with a sweet 'alright then, good night uncle' before she darted out the door with a roll of her eyes.

With a toothy smirk, Nikola straightened himself and took hold of the book on the trunk, taking note to hand Ashley her helmet whenever he got the chance—not. He'd probably store the thing somewhere for her to scour over. He caressed the book, sliding his finger down the spine of the book before jumping onto Magnus's bed and opening the pages to where he had stopped.

First rule broken. Well technically, it was half broken. He hadn't emptied out Magnus's wine cellar—no, not yet. He'd do that after he finished reading his book.

**XxxxxxX**

**-Yay first chapter up. Well, I decided to cut the chapters up, opting to write small chapters instead of lengthy ones. If you were a Naruto fandom fan and read my TR fics, you may not be so used to me writing short. Ah well, trying new things. **

**-Nikola and Ashley banter it up! Tune in next time to when Ashley attempts to follow Nikola's rules, but finds herself unable to. Reviews are much appreciated! Thanks so much for supporting this story =D**

**-"Let the Insanity fly!" –Ashley Magnus **


End file.
